Facility Walnut Creek Medical Center Department of Inpatient Pediatrics Address 1425 S. Main Street Hospital South 2nd Floor Walnut Creek CA 94596 Map & Directions Telephone Information: (925) 295-4000 E-mail your doctor View your preventive services

What Do I Do

I am a neonatologist and have had the privilege of practicing at Kaiser Permanente since 2003. I work mainly in the Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) where I provide care to newborn babies. In the ICN our multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, dietitians, and many others, collaborate to provide routine newborn care as well as highly specialized life support to our smallest Kaiser Permanente patients. I also provide support to our obstetrical colleagues on the labor and delivery service, providing immediate care to some of our newest patients who may need a little extra help when they are born. Sometimes babies are born at hospitals without highly advanced levels of care and require transport to our facility or other Kaiser Permanente medical centers. When this happens, I work to coordinate the transport and often go with our neonatal transport team to bring these babies to the appropriate ICN. Additionally, I also see babies who have graduated from our ICN and are returning to our ICN follow-up clinic where we evaluate how they are developing after being discharged home. If you are reading this page, there is a chance that your baby, or a baby that you know, may be a patient or former patient of the ICN. On this page you will find a link to Learn more about Neonatology. If you explore this link you can find out a lot of information about why babies are admitted to the ICN and the problems that they may have. I also recommend looking at the website of the American Academy of Pediatrics where you can find information about all aspects of pediatrics including information on immunizations, car safety seats, circumcision, breastfeeding and much more. I am a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Association of Neonatologists.

My Credentials

Medical school	Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Residency	Children's Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
Fellowship	University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA
Board certification	Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, American Board of Pediatrics

Why I Work at Kaiser

The organization of Kaiser Permanente is very appealing to me. I highly value Kaiser Permanente’s goal of providing the highest possible level of medical care in a personal and caring environment; an integrated system where the physicians, the hospitals, and the health plan all work together to provide this care. Working at Kaiser Permanente allows me to provide a high quality level of neonatal care without the impediments to health care often encountered in many other practices. I can provide high quality medical care in the ICN, knowing that when my patients are sent home they will continue to have access to high quality health care from this integrated team which is Kaiser Permanente.

About Me

During my childhood my father was in the Air Force and we moved at least every four years. I grew up in Texas, Hawaii, and Oregon. Because of this I have developed the ability to quickly adapt to new situations and new people. I consider the unknown an adventure, which is probably why I truly enjoy working in the Intensive Care Nursery. I finished high school in Southern Oregon shortly after my dad retired, then attended and graduated from Southern Oregon State College, Ashland, OR with a degree in chemistry. My next adventure was to earn a doctorate in chemistry at the University of California, Davis (UCD). While at UCD I developed a love for teaching, which I feel is an important part of my daily work in the ICN. During a postdoctoral fellowship after graduate school I determined that I wanted to do something that had a direct impact on people and our world, and so I decided to apply to medical school. I was fortunate to attend the Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, where I was surprised to find that I wanted to pursue a career in pediatrics. I was fortunate to be able to enter and complete my pediatric residency training at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. During my residency I found another adventure in neonatology. So, off I went (taking my family with me) to Seattle and the University of Washington Medical Center and Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center to complete a fellowship in Neonatal/Perinatal medicine. Since completing my fellowship, I have chosen to join Kaiser Permanente and practice neonatology.

What Do I Do When I am Not a Neonatologist?

I met and married my wife during graduate school. Monica was an electrical engineering student and I fell in love with her at first sight. She has always encouraged me to pursue my dreams and given me the opportunity to do so. We have two children who are currently in elementary school and they manage to occupy every minute of time outside of our jobs. We enjoy camping, taking long hikes, and playing at the ocean. I also enjoy working in the yard, carpentry, and reading. My Neonatal Colleagues I work closely with a number of colleagues who are Neonatologists at Kaiser Permanente in Walnut Creek and Hayward. Please feel free to explore their home pages.

Joycelyn Alcantara, MD
Allen Fischer, MD
Berenice Ku, MD
Francis Tambunting, MD
Cindy Wikler, MD
Ted Zukin, MD

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